JONESBORO, Ark. (10/30/23) – Offensive fireworks entertained a raucous crowd at First National Bank Arena on Monday, as the Arkansas State men’s basketball team topped in-state foe Central Arkansas 112-77 in charity exhibition action.
Off the court, that lively pack of 2,208 fans helped raise funds for the Wynne Relief and Recovery Center, as the nearby Northeast Arkansas community continues to rebuild following a tornado that hit the city in the spring.
On it, five players scored in double figures for the Red Wolves, who tallied 23 assists to just seven turnovers. A-State shot 50.6 percent (40-79) from the field and an even 50 percent from beyond the arc (18-36), while scoring 25 points off 14 takeaways.
UCA shot 41.9 percent from the floor on 26 of 62 and went 18-for-25 (72.0 percent) from the foul line. Tucker Anderson and Elias Cato led the Bears with 22 points apiece.
Freddy Hicks led all players with 23 points on 7-of-12 and 4-8 from three, ahead of Caleb Fields’ line of 18 points, nine assists and five rebounds. Derrian Ford added 18 points on four treys, while Avery Felts drilled five from downtown for 15 points. Dyondre Dominguez scored 15 points off the bench.
The Red Wolves out-rebounded the Bears 49-32, including 20 on the offensive glass. Izaiyah Nelson hauled in a game-high 11 rebounds, with Lado Laku grabbing nine to go along with five blocks and six points in 17 minutes of reserve action.
Back-to-back treys gave the visitors a 10-6 lead within the first four minutes, but the Red Wolves used an 8-0 run to later pull ahead 21-14 following a Fields 3-point play.
A-State continued to pile on the points, pushing its lead to 19 on a Hicks trey with under 2 minutes remaining in the half. Hicks later ended the half with a buzzer-beater from the corner to put the Scarlet and Black ahead 58-39 at the break.
UCA pulled within 16 on a 3-pointer by Carl Daugherty Jr., but A-State’s lead later ballooned to 31 following a 13-0 run that included eight points from Ford. The Red Wolves eclipsed the century mark for the second time in as many exhibition games when Felts drained a trey with 4:02 remaining, putting the count at 102-67. Less than two minutes later, the Bono native hit a corner three to give A-State its largest lead of the night – up 109-72 with 2:32 to play.
NEXT UP
Arkansas State opens its regular season on Monday, Nov. 6, at first-time Big Ten foe Wisconsin. Tip-off against the Badgers in Madison is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcasted live on Big Ten Network+.
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